Art of the Opening Scene Pt. 2 — 6 More Ways to Begin a Movie, From Scorsese to Tarantino

Summary by Krater

This video examines six storytelling techniques filmmakers use for opening scenes in movies, illustrated with examples from films like Creed, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, A Quiet Place Part II, GoodFellas, and Shutter Island.

From the video

Answers: What are different film techniques used for opening scenes in movies?

• Flashback in film
• Flashforward in film
• In medias res storytelling
• Dream sequences in movies
• Bookends in filmmaking
• Red herring plot devices

What it concludes

• Flashbacks provide a formative experience for protagonists in their past that motivates their character.
• Flashforwards act as the ultimate teaser and beg the question of how the characters got there.
• In medias res openings skip over a large portion of the story, including the inciting incident, to throw the audience into the middle of things.
• Dream sequences lay out what is dominating a main character's psyche using abstract symbolism and imagery.
• Bookends pair a similar or identical opening and closing scene to let the audience see the story in a new context and measure change.
• Red herrings are plot devices designed to mislead the audience to maximize the impact when the truth is revealed.